Wildcat Wrap
 
Final Score: No. 10 Creighton 69, Wildcats 67
 
Overview: Trey Alexander hit a fadeaway 2-pointer in the lane with .2 seconds to play in the second half to give Creighton a dramatic 69-67 victory Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in the BIG EAST regular season finale. The Wildcats had rallied all the way back from a 24-point first half deficit on the previous possession, when Eric Dixon sank three clutch free throws with 23.6 seconds to play.
 
Villanova found itself in an early 32-8 hole in this one as the Bluejays connected on 8-of-11 3-pointers in the game's opening minutes.
 
"Congrats to Creighton," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They made a lot of shots to start that game. They really executed, got us on our heels a little bit. But I was proud of the way our guys fought back over the last 25 minutes or so. Obviously, Alexander made a tough, tough shot at the end."
 
 An Early Deficit:  Creighton sank its first four attempts from the field – including a pair from beyond the 3-point arc – the first 2:02 of action to claim a 10-0 advantage, forcing a Wildcats timeout. Alexander had eight of those points for the Bluejays.
 
A Baylor Scheierman basket made it 12-0 before the Wildcats picked up a 3-pointer from Jordan Longino. Scheierman sank a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 15-3 with 15:13 on the first period clock. Two more triples pushed the lead to 21-3 after the first six minutes of action.
 
The lead grew to 30-8 as Creighton drained eight of its first 11 attempts from beyond the arc. Villanova, meanwhile, struggled to kick its offense into gear, converting just 3-of-14 from the field in the first 8:41 of the contest to go with three turnovers.
 
"I don't think it was offense to start," said Neptune of the challenges Villanova faced early on. "When you give up 30 points in the first eight minutes, that's tough. You're going against a set defense every time, couldn't get out in transition. I think it was more our inability to get stops.
 
"I thought they kicked it ahead and got some open looks we didn't want them to get. That's what they do. We practiced hard this week. I thought we warmed up great. Our guys were energetic. Looking at the guys in the huddle, it looked like we were ready to go. Sometimes, though, (other) guys make some tough shots. They did that."
 
The Bluejays cooled a bit from the field midway through the half, but Nova wasn't able to make much of a dent in the margin as it continued to search for points. A Dixon 3-pointer made it a 32-11 Bluejays' lead with 7:25 left in the first half.
 
A series of defensive stops and some offensive fuel from Justin Moore and Dixon powered a 12-2 surge that pulled VU back to within 34-20 with four minutes remaining in the period.
 
When Mark Armstrong got a steal and scored on a layup, Nova was within 34-24. A Steven Ashworth 3-pointer – the Bluejays' ninth of the half – stopped the run and advanced the lead to 37-24. When Dixon dropped in a triple with just over a minute left, the Creighton lead was eight.
 
A traditional 3-point play from Ryan Kalkbrenner was the final scoring play of the period. Creighton took a 40-29 lead into the locker room.
 
Second Act: The Wildcats kept the pressure on the Bluejays over the first 4:10 of the second period, using a Moore 3-pointer and a Longino field goal to close the margin to 45-38.
 
But a Mason Miller 3-pointer from the corner – his third of the day – pushed the Creighton lead back to 12, 50-38.
 
Creighton effectively kept Nova at arm's length, holding a 61-49 lead with 6:24 remaining in the period. But a series of defensive stops and points from Dixon helped keep the 'Cats hopes' alive. When Armstrong scored on a drive and added a free throw, VU was back to within 63-59 with 3:24 on the clock.
 
Another stop and a Moore drive for two points, closed the gap to 63-61. Creighton scored before Moore dropped in a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, 65-64. Kalkbrenner then scored on an offensive rebound to push the lead back to 67-64 with just under one minute to play.
 
A Moore attempt in the paint on the next possession rolled off the rim, giving the Bluejays possession with 39.6 seconds on the clock. Villanova then forced a held ball and the arrow pointed in the 'Cats direction. Dixon was then fouled on a 3-point attempt with 23.6 seconds on the clock. Dixon sank all three free throws.
 
But Trey Alexander dropped in a 12-foot fadeaway floater with .2 seconds left to seal the win for the Bluejays. That proved to be the difference.
 
What They Said: Moore on the early deficit: "It's definitely challenging. It exerts a lot of energy and trying to finish out a game, it makes it even harder since you had to fight back so hard. I'm still proud of the way we competed overall."
 
Neptune pointed out that Alexander had a similar opportunity when these teams met back in December (a 68-66 Wildcats' win). "We had the same situation out there when we went to Omaha. He went the other way – he ended up going left. That one bounced out, this one bounced in."